By Xavier Smerdon
SAL Elhassan knows the secret to a good coffee.
His eyes light up when he talks about it.
“You need a good coffee machine, the milk has to be the right temperature,” he said.
“You have to consider the climate too.
“On a hot day you need to grind your coffee beans a bit coarser.”
Since opening Chatterbox on Watton St a little over three years ago, the 28-year-old has gained a reputation for the quality of his coffees.
He estimates that he now sells at least 1000 coffees a day.
“The way I make coffee for myself is the way I make it for my customers,” he said.
When Sal bought the Chatterbox at the age of 24, it was a shadow of the busy favourite local meeting spot that it is today.
“It was half the size it is now,” Sal said.
“It was tired, it had no atmosphere or ambiance. It was basically like a takeaway shop.”
And while a 5am to 5pm shift might be more than most people can handle, Sal said he would not want to be doing anything else.
“I enjoy it. If I didn’t I would already have got out,” he said.
“I enjoy the characters. A lot of the customers are like family now.”
